Bus Fire Shuts Down Highway 101

At about 6:40 pm on Saturday, September 16, Montecito Fire responded to a bus fire on Highway 101 southbound near the Sheffield Drive exit. The driver of a tour bus noticed something was wrong with the vehicle, pulled over and evacuated the approximately 30 passengers and their luggage. The engine compartment of the bus caught fire and was fully engulfed. Firefighters knocked down the flames within minutes of arriving on scene. No one was injured. 

Highway 101 was closed as a result. The bus remained in the right lane, blocking traffic, until a heavy wrecker arrived to remove it. California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, and Santa Barbara City Fire Department assisted during the incident.